About Us

Perry T. Schwartz
Producing Director

Theatre

Mr. Schwartz has been producing and directing theatre and film in the metropolitan Washington, DC area since 1971. He has directed over 100 theatre productions at the college and professional levels. Professionally, he has been the artistic director for two theatre companies, Playwrights’ Co-op and the Washington Theatre Wing. In the late 70’s he directed The Square Root of Soul starring the late and great Adolph Caesar. This production ran in New York and Washington and then later toured nationally.

Reader's Theatre

Mr. Schwartz has adapted and directed several evenings of short stories for reader’s theatre. Neil Gaiman, Alison Baker, Richard Bausch and Robert Day are some of the short story authors whose works have been produced in these reader's theatre productions.

Film

In 1989 the film and video company Ol’ Black Bear Productions was formed. Mr. Schwartz directed and produced Soap Opera, a video adaptation of a play, which won a Rosebud Award in 1992 as Best Feature. His concert videoes include Shizumi Dance Theatre and The Boarding Party. He has written, produced and directed a trilogoy of short films, Leo and Mars, Call Crystal. and Snake which is currently being edited with a releases date of 2014. In 2013 he completed, Kansas Peaches. His most work is the play adapted to video, Rats, and the educational video Theatre Arts: The Basics, both are available on DVD at this website.

Text and Scripts

Mr. Schwartz has written Enjoying Theatre Arts, a text on film and theatre appreciation, and several “reader's theatre” scripts which are available through Ol’ Black Bear Press on this website.

Education

Mr. Schwartz holds an MFA from Ohio University in theatre and filmmaking and an MA from the University of Kansas in theatre. He has been Artistic Director at tghe Cultural Arts Center, Montgomery College, Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus and the coordinator of the East Coast American Film Institute Professional Training Division Workshops held at Montgomery College. Mr. Schwartz also teaches film at the college.

Melanie Price
Publisher

Melanie Price’s passion is enhancing personal connections to the visual and performing arts. She develops educational curriculum for adults and children focused on cultivating linguistic, critical and artistic expression. Early in her career, Ms. Price facilitated creative teams of writers and art directors for ad agencies in New York, San Francisco and Singapore. Currently, along with her responsibilities at Ol’ Black Bear Press, she teaches design and interdisciplinary education courses at the college level and has been awarded a faculty fellowship from the Smithsonian Institution.